Rider Profile – Alex Martins
June 22, 2010 by Arun
Filed under Rider Profiles
NCS: Lets start with your stats.
AM: Alex Martins, 39 yrs old, born in Recife, Brasil
NCS:How long have you been surfing?
AM: I have been surfing for 28 years
NCS: What made you want to start surfing in the first place?
AM: Just followed my friends
CS: Do you have a favorite wave?
AM: Mavericks is my favorite wave
NCS: What is a typical day like for you?
AM: I Normally wake up at 5:30 am, go to The Mindful Body to practice Mysore Ashtanga yoga for a couple of hours, then come home and have breakfast. If the surf is good I go for a surf. Otherwise I go to work. Then I come back home and have dinner and go to bed around 9ish.
NCS: What do you do for work?
AM: I have my own surfboard repair business. www.alexmartinssf.com
NCS: Maverick’s is not your typical wave obviously… it’s a hairy spot to surf. How did you prepare yourself to surf there?
AM: I practice a lot of yoga the helps my balance, concentration and keeps me in shape. I also try to bike as much as I can in the summertime. During the season I try to surf Mavericks as much as I can.
NCS: How stoked were you when you were invited to surf in the Mavericks contest?
AM: I was alternate number 1 so I was hoping to get in. A couple of days before I got a phone call that I was going to take Brock Little’s place so I was stoked and nervous because I knew the surf was going to be really big.
NCS: Was there a big surf scene in Brazil before you left?
AM: Yes! Brazilians are very passionate for sports and surfing is the third most popular.
NCS: Do you still go back and visit once in awhile?
AM: Yes! I try to go once a year.
NCS: Was the cold water a bit of a shock for you when you first moved to San Francisco?
AM: San Francisco? Yes! It was very hard to get used to. I would surf for half an hour max at fist.
NCS: You must have been excited when fellow Brazilian Carlos Burle was crowned the Big Wave World Tour Champ?
AM: Yes! Carlos is a good friend of my and he’s been charging big waves for a long time. Well deserved!!!
NCS: Do you do any tow ins?
AM: No, not really. I have gone a couple times, practicing in small waves with Lance Harriman. There is so much controversy around here with jet skis that I never got into it really.
NCS: Have you had any really scary moments surfing Mavericks?
AM: I had a few bad wipeouts and got caught inside by big sets which is always scary, but it’s a part of surfing Mavericks. It’s always scary on the big days.
NCS: If you had to pick 3 surfers that surf Mavericks the best… who would you pick?
AM: Well it’s very hard because I have at least 20 surfers in mind that surf really well out there. I can try to pick three, let’s see…I would say Ryan Seelbach, Peter Mel and Twiggy because they are very consistent on the big days.
NCS: Is there anyone that you would like to thank?
AM: My wife for supporting me every day and the locals for sharing the spot and helping me get my bearing out there.
Check out some footage of Alex at the Mavericks comp:
